Thu, May 21, 2026 page2

• Taiwan, US still on same page about Strait, experts say

  DIFFERING BELIEFS: An expert said that the DPP’s stance is prone to conflict, but helps freedom, while the opposition’s view does not care about sovereignty

  • By Chen Yun and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  Hiding from war would not make Taiwan any safer, and Taipei and Washington remain on the same page regarding the Taiwan Strait, experts said yesterday regarding President William Lai’s (賴清德) address marking the second anniversary of his inauguration.

  Democratic countries are seeing their people doubt the democratic system and watching the system be attacked by populism while being targeted by cognitive warfare tactics from China and others, said Yeh Yao-yuan (葉耀元), professor and chair of the International Studies Department at the University of St Thomas in Houston, Texas.

  The two prevalent views on how to maintain cross-strait peace are bolstering national defense as a deterrent, of which Lai is a proponent, while the other is that one should have greater interaction with China — to “blur the issue of sovereignty” and to “renounce arms” to show that one does not want to antagonize Beijing — which is what the opposition party believes, Yeh said.

  

  Yeh Yao-yuan, a professor and international studies chair at the University of St Thomas in Houston, Texas, is pictured in an undated photograph.

  Photo: Taipei Times

  The stance of the president and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), while prone to conflict, would help ensure the continued presence of democracy and freedom in the nation, Yeh said, adding that this is also the view of those in the realism camp of international relations studies.

  The opposition’s policy does not care about the nation’s continued sovereignty and only seeks to gain China’s pity, he said.

  It is evident which viewpoint is better for the nation, Yeh said.

  The public’s trust in the system, and their courage and willingness to defend their freedoms are required to weather such challenges, he added.

  Foundation on Asia-Pacific Peace Studies executive officer Tung Li-wen (董立文) said US President Donald Trump’s comments after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — that he had not promised Xi anything, that he would not talk to Xi regarding an invasion of Taiwan and that he would speak with Taiwan’s leader regarding arms sales issues — drew clear red lines regarding Washington’s observance of the “six assurances.”

  The US president’s comment that arms sales to Taiwan were a strong “negotiating chip” had two meanings, Tung said.

  First, it gave Washington leverage when talking with Taiwan’s leader, he said.

  Second, the US’ arms sales would depend on the level of threat China posed to Taiwan, he added.

  As for Trump saying he was “not looking to have somebody go independent,” Tung said the US president’s primary goal was to maintain the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, which is also Lai’s goal.

  Such intent had never gone well with China, and Beijing is the one that should start worrying, Tung added.
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